


Playful Love: Ludus

by Lucassanders117



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Male Slash, Multi, Slash, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:35:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25512928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucassanders117/pseuds/Lucassanders117
Summary: In Harry's third year strange feelings begin to develop. Teenagers begin to feel the stirrings of attraction to friends and others around them. Harry Potter is no different. Harry Potter is plagued by the fear of a madman who is out to kill him, his strange new feelings for a certain redheaded wizard, and the idea that not everyone is as straight as they appear to be.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Katie Bell/Leanne, Terry Boot/Ron Weasley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	1. Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave feedback! I am still writing this but I want this to be a real slow burn so look out for updated regularly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is now being beta'd by Reddit user giganticbookworm! Give them a big round of applause as they help me sort this! Please don't forget to leave feedback if you enjoyed the fic.

Harry couldn’t remember a time he had felt so lonely. Not even the previous summer when he had failed to receive a single letter from his friends as a consequence of Dobby, the previously enslaved Malfoy house-elf wanting to save him from unknown dangers. As Harry mourned the loss of his Nimbus Two Thousand, he wished that Ron and Hermione would stop arguing. Harry wasn’t sure if Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers but it had put Harry in a particularly awkward situation of being stuck between his two best mates.

Even on their way down to breakfast, Hermione wouldn’t drop the subject. “Honestly Harry, all he has to do is apologize! Crookshanks would never hurt a fly, let alone a dying rat! If anything, Scabbers must have crawled into a hole to die and Ronald just won’t admit it to himself!” Harry had managed to nod along as he took the stairs two at a time. 

Since that morning, avoiding Hermione had been easy, as she mostly studied in her preferred corner of the common room.

In Divinations, Ron managed to bring up his rat in relation to the new clairvoyance technique they were learning, “Hermione’s stupid cat killed him, Harry! You saw the way it would look at Scabbers! That thing was a menace to the school,” Ron whispered to Harry over their teacups. Harry nodded in agreement, but he really wasn’t sure if Scabbers had gotten killed. So, Harry just left it alone.

“Well then send her a bill for your stupid rat Ron,” Harry interrupted Ron as he went into another rant, while he swirled his tea, trying to decipher the black dregs. 

Ron’s eyes went wide and he stopped talking immediately. Harry winced as soon as the words left his mouth. “No, Ron, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!” Harry stammered out as Ron got up abruptly and spilled tea all over the tiny table they were occupying. The redheaded wizard sulked out of the trapdoor and Harry wished he had just kept quiet.

For weeks now both Ron and Hermione hadn’t spoken to Harry and Harry was ready to try and make amends. Harry figured talking to Ron would be easy; his bed was in the same room as Harry’s and yet it was proving more difficult than Harry cared to admit. Even with the increased security of the castle Harry often followed Ron’s dot on the Marauder’s Map late into the night waiting for him to enter Gryffindor tower, but Harry had noticed a peculiar trend where Ron and Terry Boot suddenly disappeared into a room in the seventh-floor corridor. For some reason, this was upsetting if only because he wanted a chance to get to talk to Ron. It felt like Harry’s place as best mate was being usurped and it made Harry’s stomach turn. Each night the looming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw was keeping Harry awake and his worries had not ceased even with Wood’s vigorous training. 

On one such night, Harry lay awake in bed thinking of different flying formations before he finally began to drift off into sleep. Images of bludgers and the golden snitches swirled in his head as his eyelids grew heavy with sleep. Harry wasn’t sure what time it was when he quietly muttered Nox and his wand light extinguished. Harry had almost decided that he wouldn’t be catching Ron tonight that night when a soft click and the creak of a door announced his arrival. Through the crack in the curtains of his bed, Harry saw Ron enter the dorm. His cheeks were flush, and a grin was plastered on his face; Ron had certainly run to Gryffindor tower and for some reason this made Harry feel much more lonely.


	2. Friendly Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry goes to Quidditch practice and realizes those around him have certainly grown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoy leave some feedback! I am still writing so look out for updates regularly!

The sky reflected Harry’s mood the next day. It was a steely grey morning, unseasonably cool for spring, and Harry felt vindicated in his sour mood as the Daily Prophet dropped into his lap. The headline was one Harry had been dreading: a sighting of Sirius Black, in Hogsmeade. As Harry drank his pumpkin juice, he scanned over the article and frowned. There was no time to worry about this now as Oliver had requested the team to practice with him first thing in the morning.

The Weasley twins had just rolled out of bed, no doubt. Their flaming red hair stuck out at odd angles and Harry could see an imprint of the pillow pattern on Fred’s cheek. The twins greeted Harry with as much enthusiasm as they could muster. Harry thought it was fortunate that there were no hard feelings between the Weasley twins and him, or things would have been rather awkward during practice. 

Oliver had demanded that the team grasp new techniques as they played so they were required to change into their Quidditch robes. Harry hated changing in front of his teammates. Fred snapped Oliver in the behind with a towel and Harry turned his back on the horseplay. It was weird that they were all so comfortable just getting naked in front of each other. Harry didn’t like it at all. He got dressed quickly and waited for the others outside in the cold. Katie Bell joined him soon after, her brown hair tied in a high ponytail. Bell was wide awake and prepared and Harry admired her commitment to these early practices.

“Harry, you ready for practice?” She grinned at him. 

“Erm, yeah,” Harry said, stifling a yawn. “No offense, Katie, but how are you so excited this early?”

“I haven’t really slept! Leanne and I sat up all night talking about our next trip into the village, and I guess I’m riding that high still.” Katie said animatedly. 

“That’s great Katie,” Harry said genuinely. He could remember last year when Ron and Harry had sat up late into the night quietly chatting on his bed. Harry had been worried about voices in his head and Ron had been a welcomed distraction. 

The chilly spring air bit into Harry and he was glad when the rest of the team piled out of the dressing rooms. The boys ran out hollering excitedly and Harry actually saw Wood slap George on the ass as they ran out. Weird, Harry thought as he observed the others, already eager to get on their broom. He eyed his borrowed Cleansweep - which had a dented handle, chipped twigs, and a much slower speed than his Nimbus - disdainfully. 

The practice continued late into the morning; the grey sky had turned into a light blue and the sun had come out in earnest. As they flew, their robes whipped behind them and Harry was beginning to work up a sweat. The breeze had stopped, and the morning had turned pleasant but as Harry concentrated and weaved in and out of his teammates, he could feel how tight his robes were. They were supposed to be snug to cut down on wind drag but the heat was making him uncomfortable. Finally, after a few hours with the sun announcing it was near noon, Oliver flew his broom down to the pitch and beamed at his team.

“Well, I know that unless Cho Chang is twice the better flier that Harry is, we have this match down for a win!” Oliver roared at them excitedly. The team whooped and hollered as they slapped Harry on the back and grinned at him before they broke off and followed each other back into the changing rooms. 

Harry watched as Oliver peeled his sweaty robes off his body. They clung to Wood’s stocky frame and made the tuft of curly brown chest hair stick to his skin. Even in the dim light of the changing room, Oliver Wood seemed to glisten with sweat. 

Harry ripped his eyes away from Wood and turned towards the twins. He tried not to notice as they peeled off their own robes. More freckles than skin littered their backs. Their shoulders were well-toned, and Harry could have sworn that their biceps threatened to rip the seams of their Quidditch robes. Harry squeezed his own biceps and frowned at their size. He was wiry and perfect for a Seeker but as far as Beaters went, the Weasley twins were built for perfection. Harry rushed to get out of his uniform quickly and thanked Oliver before he was subjected to seeing anyone else in any state of undress.

As Harry climbed up to Gryffindor Tower, he passed the Great Hall and heard the lunch buzz. He opened the doors and walked towards the Gryffindor table. During lunch, the houses mixed, and Harry was surprised to see Ron and Hermione with Terry Boot and a doe-eyed girl with dirty-blonde hair laughing! The upcoming match had drawn a line in the sand and for the most part, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were keeping their distance. Harry walked over and beamed at his friends and their companions.

“So, I told Luna we just need to look in Spellman’s Syllabary for it,” Hermione said nudging the blonde witch. “Oh, hiya Harry! Look, Scabbers came back!” Hermione beamed at Ron and at the small group around them. Harry couldn’t be sure how long this cease-fire would last but gladly welcomed the turn of events. He threw his leg over the bench and sat down next to Luna still trying to avoid Ron. He wasn’t sure how to apologize to his friend, but he figured one friendship fixed would be enough for the morning and set it aside.

“Hi Harry, you look resigned to something, what's wrong?” The girl’s eyes were silvery grey and very large. She was definitely a Ravenclaw based on her robes, but Harry was sure she hadn’t ever seen her around. The way she spoke with such familiarity made Harry feel a little uncomfortable and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say.

“Sorry, this is Luna Lovegood, Harry, she’s in Ginny’s year but got special permission to join Arithmancy this year; and you know Terry,” Hermione nodded toward each of them in turn. Harry gave them each a little wave and began tucking into his lunch. He nodded along with the conversation trying to avoid Ron’s eye. This was not the right time to talk to him, not with these two Ravenclaws sitting at the table. All the while Harry’s mind wandered back to the changing room. He could see the sweat dripping from Oliver’s forehead and the way the twins seemed to have red hair everywhere. Harry forced his thoughts back to the lunch table where he could feel everyone’s eyes on him.

“-Quidditch?” Terry Boot was asking. Harry’s mind spun; was this a strange way to get information on their Quidditch strategy? Was Ravenclaw that desperate to try and win? Harry knew that no matter how much Wood wanted to win he’d never stoop to cheating.

“Yeah,” Harry said stupidly. He didn’t know what he had actually been saying and he hesitated. Harry took a bite from his bread roll and washed it down with water, “Sorry, my mind wandered, you were saying something about Quidditch?” Harry asked, trying to get himself back to the present.

“Yeah, I said are you ready for the match, Cho says with your Firebolt you’re a shoo-in to win,” Terry said, flashing Harry a mischievous grin as if they were sharing some grand secret. Terry had eyes the color of honey. His eyes were golden and there was a small smattering of freckles across his nose. Harry could see he was genuinely trying to be kind, how ironic, the fact that he was trying to steal his best mate had not been lost on Harry.

“Oh yeah! We had a great practice today, I think we have a shot, but shouldn’t you not want us to win?” Harry asked. Terry laughed and Ron joined him pressing his shoulder against Terry. What the hell? Harry thought. The question wasn’t supposed to be a joke. Harry felt flush with anger. “Sorry, Boot is something funny?” Harry asked.

“No, no, lighten up Harry! I like friendly competition,” Terry said shrugging. What the hell! Was this a threat? A challenge? Could Ron and Terry’s budding friendship be some sort of joke on him? Harry’s mind spun; his line of logic getting lost somewhere between Quidditch and Ron and Terry disappearing in the night.

“I think we should leave them, Terry; Harry doesn’t get why we’re here, Besides, it’s the perfect time for hunting Blumdiggers,” Luna said, getting up and walking around to Terry. Ron hesitated for a second and got up with Terry and Luna.

“What the hell was that, Hermione?” Harry asked dumbfounded.

“You know Harry, I’m not sure,” Hermione said chuckling. “Ron apologized and said he found his rat. I knew Shanks hadn’t done anything,” Hermione was smiling, as if the whole situation was totally normal. Harry couldn’t be sure why he disliked Terry so much or why it bothered him that Ron had left with them. Obviously, Harry had made no attempt to talk to Ron, so he had no reason to be upset. “You know Harry, Hagrid really could use our help preparing his case to save Buckbeak. I know you’ve been busy, but it might help distract you from whatever it is you have going on,” Hermione set her plate aside and helped herself to the choc ice that had appeared in front of them.

“I dunno Hermione isn’t it weird that suddenly Ron is hanging out with all these Ravenclaws right before our big match? You don’t think they’re trying to get something out of it?”

“I don’t think so, Harry. Ron seems to genuinely enjoy being around Terry,” Hermione said with a strange look in her eye. She wasn’t pleased but she wasn’t wary of their new friendship. “Luna is interesting even though she says a lot of nonsense, she’s really taken to Arithmancy for someone as young as her,” Hermione admitted.

“Right, right, I guess we just keep an eye out for anything strange,” Harry said, grabbing a choc ice.

The pair walked up the grand staircase chatting about classes. Hermione was taking too many classes as far as Harry could tell and wasn’t sure how exactly they all fit on her timetable. Hermione had to be in two places at once to be in Arithmancy and Divination and Harry was sure she had been in every lesson Harry had been. Admittedly, Harry had missed more Divinations classes than he cared to admit.

“I am so sorry, Harry, but I just remembered that I was to meet Professor Binns and Madame Hooch in the library to get permission to check out a couple of books on famous magical beast trials, sorry!” Hermione said turning on her heels and running back down the stairs towards the library. Harry sighed.

He figured he needed a shower and turned towards the communal baths. The bathroom was well-lit with neat cubicles for students to store their personal grooming belongings. Harry kept a spare set of underwear, trousers, and a shirt in the baths. The house-elves were pretty good about laundering things if you left it in the cubicles, so Harry paid no mind to his things stuffed in there.

He made his way into one of the stalls and clicked it closed. There was the sound of a few other boys in the shower. Some no doubt had just woken up. Weekends were for sleeping in when you didn’t have a practice before the sun rose. Harry sat down on the stone bench inside the stall and let the water crash over his body. He closed his eyes and his mind began to wander towards the dot he had followed so often on the Marauder’s Map. Ron. Ron. Ron. Harry thought as he began to wash. He felt his own hand press against his inner thigh and up towards his middle. He felt the soft soapy suds slip through his finger and across his most delicate parts. In his mind, he kept repeating Ron’s name. Harry pressed his hand against the small of his back and down and felt a strange pressure building in his stomach. Harry began to picture Ron. What the...

Harry threw his eyes open and turned the water right, so it was like sinking into the icy Black Lake. He rinsed his body and shut the water off. He sat back down and tried to get his breathing back under control. He looked around the small stall feeling as if everyone near him could see what he had seen in his mind’s eye. Harry was sure he was going mad. What was wrong with him?

He dried himself off quickly and threw on his clothes. His underwear felt tighter than normal. The images still fluttered behind his eyelids.


	3. Considering Ron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has an interesting shower and a Quidditch game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of the rewrite.

What had begun as a grey overcast day had turned into a warm and sunny spring afternoon. The castle was mostly vacant of other students save for a few lounging in sunny spots around the castle. A few of the younger students were playing Exploding Snaps in the bigger corridors and laughing jovially. As Harry approached Gryffindor Tower there were a few younger boys sitting trading Chocolate Frog Cards in front of the portrait hole. Among these youngsters was Colin Creevey. Harry sighed trying to think of an excuse to simply turn around and go.

“Hiya Harry!” Colin shouted standing up and throwing his Chocolate Frog Cards all over the floor and onto his other friends. Harry rolled his eyes but managed a smile at Colin.

“What are you doing out here?” Harry asked. Much to Harry’s surprise Colin gave Harry a great big hug around his middle and beamed up at him. “We got locked out Harry! We’ve forgotten the password, but you’re here to save the day!”

Harry wasn’t sure if this was all real or if today had turned into some sort of strange hallucination. Harry pried Colin off him and walked up to the fat little knight guarding Gryffindor Tower.

“Scurvy Cur!” Harry said and Sir Cadogan brandished his sword and swung the door open. Harry crawled into the portrait hole and left Colin and his gaggle of boys outside. Harry ran up the stairs before the younger boys could get up to him and he made a dash for their dormitory.

Much to Harry’s surprise, Ron was laying in his bed with his eyes closed smiling at the ceiling. Harry cleared his throat and Ron’s eyes fluttered open. This wasn’t ideal not after the whole shower business or after being accosted by Colin Creevy but Harry figured no time like the present.

“Ron I really am sorry about not believing you about Scabbers you know I would give you half of my Gringotts vault if you’d let me,” Harry implored. Ron just stared at Harry.

“I don’t want your stupid money or your half-assed apology,” Ron spat at Harry. Harry could feel something large and scaly erupt in his stomach. He felt his face grow hot but took a deep breath.

“I said I was sorry, now if you don’t want to accept my apology you can go and shove your rat up–” Harry was cut off by Ron throwing himself off the bed and past Harry. The anger inside Harry swelled and Harry roared in frustration. 

“Go on then! Avoid conflict like you always do. Coward!” Harry could feel his eye sting with tears as he kicked the large trunk at the foot of his bed. Harry laid on his bed feeling the urge to break something, anything, to get rid of the feeling in his stomach. He did not feel sad Harry felt as if he had been punched right in the gut. Harry sat at the edge of his bed trying to get the sick feeling out of his stomach. It felt like the moment right before blacking out without the relief of losing himself. Harry there for what felt like an eternity until there was a light knock at the door. 

“Head Boy,” Percy announced before opening the door. Harry rubbed his eyes with the pads of his hands and let out a quiet sigh before looking up at Percy. Percy’s face wasn’t pulled into its normal superior grin all that superiority had been turned into soft concern. 

“Harry, everything alright? I heard some yelling a few minutes ago,” Percy asked softly as if he were talking to a wounded animal. Harry could feel warmth rush up into his cheeks. 

“S’alright Percy, just a stupid fight,” Harry couldn’t admit to Percy that he and Ron weren’t on speaking terms. All over a stupid rat. Harry couldn’t understand why his so-called best friend was so angry with him. Harry couldn’t even understand why he felt so angry now as if he were being interrogated. 

Percy was not a sentimental type. Frankly, Harry didn’t care for Percy as much as he cared for the rest of his family. Still, there were times when Percy could rise to the occasion. Awkwardly and without much warning Percy closed the distance between Harry’s bed and the door and sat down next to Harry. 

“Look, Harry, speaking as not the Head Boy for Gryffindor, I think Ron really needs a friend, right now. I know that he is a git but he needs someone, and I’m thankful you can be there for him.” 

Harry wasn’t sure what to say so he just stared and waited for Percy to continue. 

“All I’m saying is that I know he can be a real difficult person to be friends with, Harry. But, he is in the shadows a lot, and I know that maybe he feels inferior to you, being Potter and all. I just– well maybe I said too much, but he just needs someone to make him feel important,” with finality Percy stood up and patted Harry awkwardly on the back. 

“Something to think about,” Percy said, pulling the door open and walking out of the still empty dormitory. 

Despite Harry feeling annoyed by Percy he also wanted to consider what he had said. Sure Percy was a know-it-all and certainly too proud, but something about what he had said rang true.

Ron was the last boy in a large family. Bill and Charlie were the oldest they had de facto respect and admiration from the family and all those professors at Hogwarts. Harry had heard Professor McGonagall talk about them and their work. 

Then there was Percy who despite his attitude had great marks and was Head Boy. Even the twins just slightly older than Ron were more of a handful than Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could handle. Ginny was the youngest and of course adored for being the only girl. Where did that leave Ron? Harry wondered. 

Harry felt a pang of guilt. Scabbers was Ron’s pet and even that had been a hand-me-down. He couldn’t understand where it left Ron in relation to Harry. Harry would never throw his name in Ron’s face, but could it be true that Ron felt in the shadow of Harry? Ron had saved Harry’s life several times now and was always there for him. 

The scaly beast that had erupted in Harry’s belly and had curled around his middle during the fight began to vanish. In its place, something cold and heavy had settled. Harry sighed and closed his eyes hitting his temples lightly with his fists. He wasn’t hitting himself hard just very lightly tapping to try and remove some of the pressure building up in his head. 

“Ron, I’m sorry,” Harry whispered before falling back into his bed.  
***  
The days leading up to the Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were brutal. Oliver Wood demanded that every moment they had free time they were practicing. If they weren’t practicing Oliver had them running laps around the school grounds. The Weasley twins had enchanted some of the Quaffles to weigh a couple of stones each and they had taken to using them as dumbbells. 

It was grueling stuff but Harry appreciated the distraction. Harry’s mind drifted to the fact that he was still avoiding Ron. No matter how much he was avoiding Ron, Harry was still watching him and Terry run around the castle with Luna and Hermione in tow in the Marauder’s Map at night. Without Harry’s invisibility cloak the four of them had to be back by curfew most nights but they still knew a few hidden passageways to spend a few hours late into the night. 

Harry could hear them talking about Buckbeack’s upcoming trial almost every morning and Harry would feel a sense of guilt that he wasn’t helping. 

Without any warning Harry felt Oliver Wood press his body weight into him and the sudden force knocked him onto the floor. Oliver was sturdy and through the thin sweat-soaked shirt Harry could feel the hard musculature of Oliver’s body. 

“What the-” Harry shouted. The rest of the team were laughing wildly as Harry let himself be pressed into the ground by Wood’s sturdy body. 

“Rogue Bludger mate,” Oliver said laughing as he pulled himself up away from Harry. 

“I can’t have a Seeker with a concussion before the match Harry,” Wood admitted. The Bludger was weaving in and out of the team as the Weasley twins tried to beat it back into the wooden crate that had held it. 

“We accidentally let it out with the enchanted Quaffles,” Fred said laughing. The Bludger was restrained back to the wooden crate and Oliver decided that this was enough for the day. Tomorrow was the big match and Wood wanted them rested. 

Harry and the rest of the team walked up to the castle and into the dormitories. Harry didn’t even bother to look for Ron or Hermione as he trudged up to his bed. 

The next morning was Saturday and Harry could feel the adrenaline rushing through him. The previous night Harry's new broom had been returned to him. He could feel the rush of his new broom and couldn't wait to show the Ravenclaws who was boss. Harry pulled a set of pants, jeans, and a shirt from his drawer and walked down to the showers. 

It was still pretty early in the morning so Harry was surprised to hear voices in the bathroom. It was the voice of two Gryffindors but Harry couldn’t be sure who they were. He had heard rumors that sometimes the more adventurous students would sneak around and do things that were of no interest to Harry. Harry thought the whole thing of showering with other people was weird. Still, Harry was not so naive that he didn’t see that the two boys were doing more than showering together. 

Harry coughed loudly as he stepped into his own cubicle and the two voices laughed even harder. Harry washed quickly hearing the two laughing and splashing. Harry could hear the sound of skin hitting skin and he wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole. The laughter stopped and was replaced with soft rhythmic grunting. Harry coughed again to remind them that he was still in the room. 

The grunting got faster and Harry could hear muffled moans. Harry tried washing quickly but something about the sounds intrigued Harry. He felt something in his belly stir and while he didn’t mean to, he listened closely to hear more. Harry shook his head trying to clear it and turned the water off and dressed quickly. 

The rhythmic sound had reached a peak and as Harry was walking out the door, embarrassed, he heard a moan of pleasure and more laughter. 

The day of the match was a blur that was compounded with Harry traveling back to the early morning shower. He wondered who those two Gryffindors were. They had to be Gryffindor the bathrooms were in their dormitory and it was commonly understood that you didn’t bring other Houses into the tower. 

The match against Ravenclaw was a good one. Even stupid Malfoy’s prank wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of the team as they celebrated in the changing rooms. 

The Weasley twins and Wood stripped down to their underwear as they talked excitedly about the match. Each thrust and touch amongst the older boys carried Harry further and further back into that morning. Harry peeled his own robes off and laughed along with them making sure he kept his eyes on space right above their heads.  
“Awww come on Harry! Are you shy? Is my beater’s bat too much to handle?” Fred asked thrusting himself towards Harry. 

“Piss off Fred!” Harry said laughing, trying to dry his hair. 

“Mines, even bigger Harry, care to take a look?” George said joining his brother in pointing himself at Harry. 

“Right chaps, but I got the biggest Bludgers!” Wood said laughing as he pulled his underwear down to his ankles and thrusting even harder than the other two. 

“Oi!” The twins yelled, leaping out of their underwear and spinning their hips in such a way that made them look like helicopters trying to take off. The three older boys yelled slapping each other on the ass. Fred was playing a rendition of the Hogwarts school song and playing the beat on Oliver’s hairy behind as a drum. The two of them were marching around while George was pretending to play some sort of brass instrument that needed him to use his whole pelvis as a way to keep time. 

Harry couldn’t help but laugh at the three of them and forgot about his own shyness. He stripped down to nothing and joined them as an impromptu elephant in the Hogwarts song. His trunk was obvious and as he spun his “trunk” Harry made a large trumpet sound and the four of them fell into a fit of uncontrolled laughter. 

Harry couldn’t help but admire his teammates. They were impressive. Oliver was larger and harrier than Harry had imagined and the twins well they were natural redheads and their freckles were everywhere. 

“Come on Harry, let’s get a shower and go up to the common rooms, I heard they were throwing us a party in our honor,” Oliver said, gathering his clothes from off the floor before walking into the shower. 

Harry felt warmth and happiness for the first time in a while. He had forgotten his own shyness and the awkwardness he had felt around his teammates was forgotten. Anatomy was nothing Harry thought as he finished his shower and got dressed before making the journey up to the castle with his teammates.


	4. A Roaring Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio dances. Ravenclaw is defeated and curtains are slashed.

Outside Gryffindor tower, some of the party had spilled out. A few older Gryffindors were definitely on the lookout for Professor McGonagall. They were chatting and drinking from cups that someone had bewitched to show a roaring lion. Despite the short notice, Gryffindors always threw great parties, and Harry was thankful for a moment to release some of the frustration he had been feeling. The portly knight waved them in, and the door guards hooted jovially at them.

The mood inside was completely different than what Harry had imagined. Someone had placed a silencing charm on the door because inside, the noise was deafening as they stepped inside. Gryffindors threw themselves at the team as they stepped in. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina were already inside, and they were dancing wildly in the open space where once comfy armchairs had been. The lights of the common room were all turned off. The lights had been replaced by small dancing orbs of red and gold that flashed along to the Weird Sister’s beat. The effect was, for lack of a better word, magical. 

Harry simply moved along the crowded common room as his peers congratulated him and passed along drinks in enchanted cups. Butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and something more potent that had undoubtedly been smuggled in. 

“Oi! Harry! Congratulations,” an older Gryffindor said, smiling, passing him a cup of pumpkin juice and something that smelled like rubbing alcohol. Harry laughed and set the drink down discreetly without taking a sip. He was making his way to Ron and Hermione, who were laughing in a corner.

“Hiya Harry,” Hermione said, passing Harry a cup of plain Gillywater. 

“Cheers, ‘Mione, hiya Ron,” Harry said, cooly raising his glass at Ron. 

“Hmpf,” Ron grunted as he peeled himself from the wall he had been leaning on. Whatever warmth, Ron and Hermione had obviously did not extend to Harry.   
“Anyway Hermione Terry said he wants to take you up to Ravenclaw Tower and see if you can figure out the riddle; I told him you’d be able to get it faster than anyone up there,” Ron said to Hermione, angling his body away from Harry. 

“Ron, honestly, I don’t know if I should,” Hermione admitted. She let out a laugh and took a deep drink from her Gillywater. The Gillywater had the added benefit that while it was not alcoholic, it made the drinker feel effervescent, causing levity and brightness. Harry couldn’t gulp his drink down fast enough. 

“Well played today Harry,” Ron said to Harry. The redheaded wizard drank deeper from his cup and was finally able to look at Harry. Harry smiled at Ron. 

“Er, thanks, Ron,” Harry said, not sure what to make of the momentary cease-fire. 

“Want to dance?” Hermione asked the two of them, and they each gave a grin and nodded. Hermione led them both into the floor. There was much commotion as the music sped up. The music of the Weird Sisters intermixed with Muggle music. Much to Harry’s embarrassment, someone had remixed Whitney Houston’s Muggle hit “I Will Always Love You” to be faster and more of a dance song than necessary. 

Hermione danced with her hands outstretched, floating, like something from a movie. She looked weightless as she swung her wild mane of hair to the song and smiled widely at the two of them. This was unlike any Hermione the two had seen before, and it gave Harry and Ron a common ground. 

The two of them roared with laughter and used one another for support so as not to fall over on the dance floor. The music shifted, again and again, changing from Muggle music to more wizarding bands. The three of them danced and danced. Harry led Hermione, and Ron led Harry. Sometimes the three of them would simply jump along to the beat, enjoying the easy energy flowing between the three of them. When they swore, they could not dance another moment another Muggle song sounded through the common room. 

_Whoomp! There it is. Whoomp! There it is. Whoomp! There it is. Whoomp! There it is._

The beat was contagious. It was the kind of music that would have made Aunt Petunia shutter. Whoever was enchanting the radio had a taste for American music, but Harry didn’t mind. The whole of Gryffindor Tower began to jump to the beat screaming the few lyrics along with the Muggle. 

_Whoomp! There it is. Whoomp! There it is. Whoomp! There it–_

The silencing charm had broken. Harry had to be sure of that. Suddenly the colored orbs of light vanished, and in one motion, someone had turned on all the regular lights. Some of the students shouted and ran up the stairs to the dormitories laughing. It was well past curfew, and Professor McGonagall stood in a tartan nightgown with her wand pointed at the ceiling. 

“Finite,” Professor McGonagall spoke in a clear voice, and suddenly any sort of enchantment in the common room had broken. Even the cups with the roaring lion had transformed back into regular plastic cups. 

“Of all the idiotic things that could have happened, this is high on the list, Mr. Wood!” Professor McGonagall said, pointing her finger at Oliver Wood, who did not seem to notice her entrance. He peeled himself away from a girl who looked as though she wanted to jump on Wood in front of Professor McGonagall. 

“Professor, please, it’s not my fault,” Wood said sheepishly, trying to rid his mouth of the lipstick the girl had been wearing earlier. 

“And Percy, where are you?” Professor McGonagall asked accusingly. One of the smaller first years that had been acting as clean-up crew walked over to a cupboard and opened the door. Inside sat a purple-faced Percy Weasley, his hands and feet bound by a thin rope. His mouth had been gagged with some sort of spell that made his tongue look like it weighed a ton. 

“Mr. Weasley!” Professor McGonagall said, pointing her wand in his direction and immediately freeing him.

“Professor McGonagall, I would never abandon my post! But, but, but–” Percy stammered as he ran, tripping out of the cupboard. “I– they jinxed me from behind I didn’t see it!” Percy pleaded.

“That’s enough, Mr. Weasley, that’s enough. I would like to remind you that I have the authority to ban my own house from playing Quidditch,” there was an audible groan from the crown. “Of course, I would never do that because I want nothing more than to gloat the Quidditch cup in Professor Snape’s face,” she continued. “However, I do think this was very stupid and will cost you 50 house points,” Professor McGonagall finished. Another groan from the crowd but an easy price to pay in exchange for one of the best parties Gryffindor Tower had seen in a long time. 

“And let those poor first years rest!” Professor McGonagall said with some finality as she walked out the portrait hole. The Common Room emptied slowly and Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the stairs to their dormitories feeling exhausted but happy that at least for the night all was right with the world. 

*********************************************************************

“Night,” Ron said quietly to Harry once they were upstairs. 

“Yeah, night, Ron,” Harry offered in return.

“Oh, don’t be so warm you two,” Dean said from his bed.   
“Yeah we’d hate to see you two sleep off the dancing,” Seamus said with a grin. 

“Whatever,” Ron said a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. 

The Gryffindor boys all turned off their lamps and rest came easily that night. Obviously, the night had been too good to go off without a hitch. A few hours later Harry’s soft snoring was broken by the sound of Ron’s scream. 

It was a sound of real terror. The scream was guttural and it raised the hair on the back of Harry’s neck. In one motion, Harry was out of bed and had brandished his wand. 

“Lumos!” The boys around Ron all said almost simultaneously. They looked around the room and saw that the curtains to Ron’s bed had been slashed. White as a sheet Ron sat in his bed. 

“I’ll get Percy,” Dean said as he walked swiftly out of the room. Neville was looking rather green as he sat down but Harry couldn’t worry about that now. 

“You alright Ron?” Harry asked as he joined Ron in his bed. They had done this countless times and feeling his best friend next to him Harry felt a twinge of sadness and happiness at the same time and he wasn’t sure why. 

“It was him, Harry, he had mad eyes, and he had a knife! It’s all true he’s horrible Harry,” Ron said, leaning into Harry. It was a moment of tenderness that passed between them as Seamus and Neville looked on. It made Harry uncomfortable and he stood up out of bed. 

“Let me see if your brother–” Harry was cut off at the voice of Professor McGonagall ran clearly from the walls of the dormitory. 

“All Gryffindor students are to report to the Common Room immediately,” the voice sounded as if Professor McGonagall was in the room but her voice was radiating from the walls. As they made their way down Harry saw that the few hours of sleep they had gotten had made everyone antsy instead of well-rested. Was it possible that only a few hours ago they had all been enjoying music in this very room?

Professor McGonagall stood again in the portrait hole. She was angry and holding a small roll of parchment. 

“Neville Algie Longbottom, here, immediately,” Professor McGonagall said in a cold steely voice. “What is this?” She asked unfurling the small roll. In Neville’s thin messy scrawl were seven words written. Every single password to Gryffindor Tower was written on it. Harry grimaced as Neville approached Professor McGonagall.

“I–I–I’m sorry, professor,” Neville stammered out.

“Foolish boy, you could have gotten someone killed, another 10 points from Gryffindor; I am just glad no one was hurt. As we speak the Dementors and your professors are searching the castle now. Mr. Weasley does not allow any student to leave this common room until we have searched the castle top to bottom.”

“Yes, professor,” Percy said, straightening his Head Boy badge. 

“Mr. Longbottom, I expect you in my office immediately following breakfast, is that understood? We will discuss your foolishness there, Mr. Longbottom. I am really disappointed,” Professor McGonagall said. 

The next few hours were not easy. The older Gryffindors took the armchairs. They curled up in them and some of them actually tried to sleep. Percy dimmed the lights in the common room but some of the first years complained because they were scared. They all laid a massive puppy pile next to the fire as if Sirius Black was going to attack them in the middle of the tower surrounded by everyone. Some laid under tables and some simpled chatted quietly. A few tried keeping away by playing chess or telling stories to anyone who would listen. 

Of course, the man of the hour was Ron. He told his story a few times; initially, it was pretty close to the truth. But, as the night wore on and his crowd of listeners got larger, his story became more exaggerated. 

It was dawn by the time Professor McGonagall’s voice sounded in the common room again. By then, Ron had told the story so many times that it had grown wildly out of control. To hear Ron tell it, Sirius Black and he had dueled hand to hand for a few minutes before he ran out. 

Harry groaned at his best friend but allowed him to tell the story. 

“Come on you tosser, let’s go to bed,” Harry said as he threw himself onto his bed. 

“I’m not sleeping there,” Ron said as he jumped on Harry’s bed. The two of them didn’t fit in the four-poster bed as they had when they were younger but it was still nice to feel the heat of his best friend next to him. Harry had asked Ron to sleep with him only a few times when they were younger. It was like the sleepovers Harry had never gotten growing up. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry muttered as sleep overcame him. Before Harry was finally taken over by his dreams, he felt Ron’s heavy arm tossed over him and a soft whispered ‘I’m sorry’ left Ron’s lips heavy with sleep. 

Harry drifted off to sleep, smiling.


End file.
